Day One: Fast and Easy Cookie Cobbler

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2010 is great for one and all!

So here I am, outside in 25 degree weather, 4" of snow on the ground and the wind is blowing. Not a banner day to be cooking outside. I guess I will count my blessings that it isn't raining cats and dogs! Now that the patio is shoveled and my gear is assembled, I am nervously ready to go. I'm just not sure that I can get this right. I love to cook, and I am pretty handy in the kitchen. There isn't much I can't cook. But I am not ashamed to say that cooking in a dutch oven terrifies me. I can't just push a button and have the temperature exactly where I need it. This is going to take some courage on my part. In the kitchen, if a recipe flops I can usually salvage it enough to make it edible, but in the dutch oven, I'm not so sure. So for my first dutch oven meal in about 5 years (or longer), I decided to try something that I can't possibly screw up. This recipe has only 2 ingredients, and should be a big confidence booster for me (in theory, anyway). the recipe is called Fast and Easy Cookie Cobbler. It is from a book by Marla Rawlings called "The Beginner's Guide to Dutch Oven Cooking".

Fast and Easy Cookie Cobbler

10" dutch oven

1 16 oz. package refrigerator sugar cookie dough

2 cans any flavor pie filling (I used apple)

Pour the pie filling into the oiled dutch oven. If you oiled your ovens after the last time you used it you don't need to re-oil it. Slice the cookie dough and place it on top of the filling. Cover and cook with 8 coals on the bottom and 12 coals on top for 30-40 minutes. (Remember take the size of dutch oven and subtract 2 for the number of bottom coals and add 2 for the number of top coals.) Rotate lid and oven while cooking to ensure even heating. I rotated mine every 10 minutes.

The finished product.

What I learned

I have to admit this was easier than I thought it would be. Using the formula for adding coals was easy. I did learn that you do not put coals on the center of the lid or under the center of the oven because they seemed to cause a hot spot and the cookie dough browned faster in the center. Once I moved the coals to the outside it was fine. It is a good idea to put aluminum foil on the ground under the coals. I keeps the coals from staining the concrete. I also learned that it really does take 30-40 minutes to get the coals going. I need to plan ahead better.

The Review

This recipe was pretty good. I mean what can you expect from two ingredients. I was too sweet for me, but my kids ate it up--literally. It definitly needed the cool whip or ice cream, and I still washed it down with milk. This recipe is great for kids, and boy scouts would probably love it. I think there are better recipes out there, and I think I will find them before I give this one a try again.

Come back tomorrow for a yummy Ham and Cheese Potato Casserole.